The Sweet Danger

As young babies we innately love the taste of anything sweet. We tend to want more of what tastes pleasant and enjoyable to us. Many authors and researchers have shown us proof of the dangers of consuming too much sugar. Now more and more companies have come up with sweet alternatives.

One of the biggest alternatives in recent years has been high fructose corn syrup. It is in everything, particularly soft drinks and candy bars. Label reading can produce some startling revelations. The science community has been yelling loudly about the insidious dangers of consuming products containing it for years.

Studies have shown that it is a major contributor to metabolic syndrome, obesity and diabetes. The number of products on the market containing high fructose corn syrup and the rate at which it is being consumed in various products is directly proportional to the epidemic of obesity and diabetes that is sweeping North America. The problem is rising fast and according to the statistics provided by the National Soft Drink Association (NSDA), the national consumption of soft drinks is over 600- 12 ounce serving per person per year. The soft drink consumption rate has doubled for females and tripled for females since the late 1970's. Statistically, the highest consumption is in males between 12 and 29 who drink an average of ½ a gallon of soft drinks per day, which amounts to 160 gallons per year.

Since the high fructose corn syrup has created such a stink with scientists and nutrition experts, researchers have come up with a new sweetener, agave syrup. On Dr. Mercola's website you can type in agave syrup and come up with all kinds of articles explaining the pros and cons of this sweetener. Basically, the bottom line is that agave will convert to fructose in the body and that is as dangerous as high fructose corn syrup.

What is interesting to note is that no one has died from a lack of sugar consumption. The body makes all it needs from the food you eat, even food without any sugar in it. As a society, we are addicted to the taste. Kids don't want to drink water, they want something sweet with a flavor to it. They don't want to eat vegetables, they want fast, junk food that they like the taste of. How did they get like this, from their parents obviously. We have grown up as generations of satisfaction seekers. Ah, the age of consumerism.

As more children become type 2 diabetic, our citizens may find that we are the last generation who will reach the age of 50. Between the sugar and junk food epidemic and the genetic food manipulation, we need to take a sobering look at our health and what we have created.

Jean Perrins is a former nurse and admitted health nut who writes health articles for a number of on-line and off-line sources. As an avid researcher, she knows how to squeeze every ounce of health in a body. To access more of Jean's articles, go to http://www.drinkalkalineionizedwater.com.